In connection with the mass production of tires for cars, trucks, construction vehicles, and the like, it is necessary to test each tire manufactured so as to insure compliance with product specifications, safety of the product, and maintenance of a high level of quality control. Many tires must be graded in order to aid the consumer in the purchase of tires. In addition, it is necessary to balance each of these tires so as to insure proper and even wear of the tread thereon, and to insure that the tires will provide a smooth ride when installed upon a vehicle. This must be done to each tire individually because each separate tire will have different balancing needs due to imperfections in the manufacturing process. Furthermore, many tires must be ground so that the consumer can receive a product that will adequately serve the needs of that particular consumer.
All of the above testing procedures, among others, can take considerable time because each tire must be mounted upon a testing machine or fixture in order for the testing procedures to be performed. The time taken to perform each one of these necessary testing procedures can reduce revenues generated by means of the sales of such tires. Therefore, it is desirable to have a tire holding fixture that can operate quickly, in order to reduce the time needed to perform the needed testing procedures.
It is well known in the art to provide a device for mounting tires that has a two part simulated wheel, so that the tires do not have to be mounted upon an actual wheel in order for the testing procedures to be performed. Such devices are disclosed, for example, in the following patents.
______________________________________ Sorensen 3,331,412 06/18/67 Oda et al 4,380,927 04/26/83 Kounkel et al 4,414,843 11/15/83 Kounkel et al 4,479,381 10/30/84 Maikuma et al 4,574,628 03/11/86 Flory 4,677,848 07/07/87 Cargould et al 4,852,398 08/01/89 ______________________________________
With these devices in mind, manufacturers of tires have desired to further increase the speed of operation of such devices. This desire has lead to the construction of tire holding fixtures that have quick release locking mechanisms. However, in order for such fixtures to actuate quickly, the fixtures often have locking means having certain stress limits. These limits may therefore present an impediment to the proper testing of the tires.
Especially in the instance of tires for trucks and construction vehicles, the tires must be subjected to high inflation pressures, which often meet or exceed the stress limits of the locking means of the tire holding fixtures, and which exert a separation force upon the two part simulated wheel, thereby resulting in improper, and inaccurate tire testing. Therefore, a tire holding fixture having a quick release locking means, which is able to withstand higher separation forces generated by means of such tire inflation pressures and testing procedures of the tires, is desired for use with machines that test tires.